go to Auschwitz?

[Totoro]

What gave me the panic attack was seeing all the people's shoes, eyeglasses, hair and suitcases that they had confiscated. You see children's shoes and it really hits home.

I've been there too, it's a bit similar to the killing fields in Cambodia in my experience.

Two suggestions from OP's 'profile' description.

• Do go, there's no blood or gore like in movies and very educational and rewarding.
• Avoid said above room. It's by far the most confrontational. Everything else you can regulate yourself reasonably well to what extent it affects you.

 

[CoolRich59]

I'm sure that many of you have been to concentrations camps- are you glad you did or wish you hadn't?

Very timely post for me.

I visited Dachau in 1982 and it was a horrific and powerful experience that it hard for me to put into words. But, what I mean by timely is that just yesterday, I came across this video a fellow made about the importance of being respectful if one does visit.

The video resonated so strongly with me that I tracked down the man's contact information and sent him a note to thank him.

Here is a link to the video: https://youtu.be/bfAnmqy5uYE

 

[Totoro]

And every visitor, I mean EVERYONE was respectful and quiet.

Unfortunately, not when I was there. Most were, a few weren't.

 

[CoolRich59]

I have toured Auschwitz. Like most who have been there, I found it very moving, and I would recommend that others see this place.


That does not mean it is for you. If your goal is to have a happy, uplifting day, then you should not go. If you think it will leave you worse off than if you hadn't seen it, you shouldn't go. If you think it will leave you better off as a person, then maybe you should experience it. It is part of our human heritage, and incredible evidence of what type of institutional cruelty is possible. This wasn't an alien or ancient culture thousands of years ago, it was a modern western culture with values uncomfortably similar to our own in many ways.

Very well said samclem. As I said in my post, my experience is difficult to put into words, but you have captured the essence of my experience incredibly well.

What struck me most at Dachau was the assembly line efficiency of mass murder. It was horrific to see.

 

[Breedlove]

We have been to Anne Frank house and Corrie Ten boom a few times . It is soboring . At the end of the Anne Frank house you see the letters written in all the different languages . Famous words from Corrie ten Booms's father at the Corrie Ten boom house makes you feel so strong.
Never been to any of the camps but seen something at Anne Frank house that flat out shocked us . At the end they have photos and history of atrocities around the world . In one area they have the famous photo of the Nazi with the rifle pointed in the little girls face as she is begging him . Right beside it is a very large dark picture of a man holding a chain and the story below is about the murder in Vidor Texas of Mr. Byrd . We seen a little girl asking her dad what that was about and all he said was pigs , pigs

 

[Nemo2]

Here is a link to the video:

Excellent.

I've always loved this one featuring a survivor.....a big "F*** You" to those who carried out these atrocities:

 

[CoolRich59]

Not to derail this thread, but I'm reminded of Sir Nicholas Winton.

Here is a short account of what he did: https://youtu.be/PKkgO06bAZk

 

[Nemo2]

Not to derail this thread, but I'm reminded of Sir Nicholas Winton.

Here is a short account of what he did: https://youtu.be/PKkgO06bAZk

Wonderful!

 

[Chuckanut]

I had the privileged of listening several times to a survivor of those camps when I was teaching middle school. The 8th grade history classes had a specvial speaker, a very sharp lady in her 80's who was a survivor,

She mentioned one thing I did not know. The women were served a 'special' soup that contained something that would, over time, sterilize them. One of the first things she learned was not to eat the soup.

At the end of her talk she would get a big smile on her face and say this:

Mr. Hitler tried to kill me, but I am still alive and he is dead. Mr. Hitler tried to keep me from having children, but I have several children and more grandchildren.

 

[Marita40]

I haven't been and don't know if I could go. A couple of years ago I read an book on Hitler's women's camp, Ravensbruk (where they experimented on women), and I still have nightmares about it.
It is one of those things: I'm very glad I read it (it is an excellent, well documented history), and I wish I hadn't read it at the same time.
https://www.amazon.com/Ravensbruck-...preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

 

[WestUniversity]

I cannot even imagine what an emotional experience it could be. We were in NYC and went through the 9/11 Memorial. IT was overwhelming for me. Sped to the exit before I had seen everything. It was simply too much. By comparison one of the death camps could truly be more than I could take...

 

[gerntz]

Were I to visit Poland, I would make it a point to go. That I was moved and saddened when I visited Gettysburg, Vietnam War Memorial, and Normandy Landing cemetery is all the more reason I’d go.

 

[Nemo2]

That I was moved and saddened when I visited Gettysburg, Vietnam War Memorial, and Normandy Landing cemetery is all the more reason I’d go.

+1

My own personal feeling is that there's a moral obligation to those who died.

 

[Red Badger]

DH would certainly go without me- I would encourage him to. But I am considering going thanks to Athena's comments.

I visited Bergen-Belsen (north of Hannover, GE) many years ago. There were no gas chambers, but for too many innocents, it was still a death camp. Because the Nazis destroyed so many records, there is no accurate count of the deaths there, but estimates run above 100K. The corpse of Ann Frank was found there, along with over 12K other unburied corpses.

When I learned that I share last names with the camp commandant, I left in tears. Was the emotional scarring worth it? Yes, but I'll never use any ancestry test - I never want to know (my ancestors lived in that region of Germany). It is depressing, but it does make the abstract become very concrete. As others have well stated, it is one way to strengthen our collective resolve to end genocide, right now and in the future.

If you are a person of faith, consider bringing something to comfort you (bible, koran, rosary, etc) as you walk through hell on earth. Godspeed in both your travels and your difficult decision.

 

[Marita40]

I was very moved and also haunted by Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Ancestors of mine fought on the Union side and died from their wounds in both places.

 

[Sue J]

My BILs (sister’s husband) parents were holocaust survivors. Upon entering the camp their child was taken from them and murdered. I don’t remember which camp it was but when it ended they were relocated to Sweden where my BIL was born in 1947. I didn’t know them well but saw them at family gatherings and I saw the number on their arms. I’ve seen it on other people, too.
My sister and BIL have visited camps. As humans it’s important to see these things and understand how hate happens.

As for the OP, I can understand not wanting to visit. Seeing the pictures of the glasses and shoes, etc hit me hard. My grandparents came from Hungary and Poland in the 1920s. I’m pretty sure they lost family.

 

[Nemo2]

I was very moved and also haunted by Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Ancestors of mine fought on the Union side and died from their wounds in both places.

A few years back we visited Andersonville, Ga......in varying degrees all these places stimulate saddening reflection.

 

[Bamaman]

I have been to Dachau three times and we took our daughter there when she was 11. It is tough, but done in good taste. Dachau and especially the Anne Frank Haus made a lasting impression on our little girl.

But if you are uncomfortable, skip the tour. But by all means, insist the DH goes.

We had relatives (one still living @ 95) that were literally chased by the Gestapo from Dresden to the port of Hamburg. The grandfather was telling his mother goodbye before the family doctor euthanized her. It was a God thing that the three of them and a Giant Schnauzer show dog ever got on the last U.S. ship to leave Germany before WWII. A book and a documentary film were done about the story. So this subject hits home to many.

 

[Lsbcal]

I've grown up dreading that history over there. I'm glad people are showing an interest in these sorts of terrible periods so we will hopefully not repeat them in any way.

When we were in Europe last we visited two places that were not concentration camps but illuminated parts of that Nazi past:

1) Amsterdam has the Resistance Museum. It deals with the topic of victim experiences and how some reacted to the German's occupation. Some resisted in various ways and those stories were great, others collaborated both passively and actively. The stories were haunting.

2) In Munich there was the Nazi Documentation Center. It contained a great deal about the war. We focused on the early years before the war. How did such a political climate develop? Could we recognize things like this coming about in the future? Those were my questions.

 

[RunningBum]

2) In Munich there was the Nazi Documentation Center. It contained a great deal about the war. We focused on the early years before the war. How did such a political climate develop? Could we recognize things like this coming about in the future? Those were my questions.

That's actually in Nuremburg, isn't it? We went there, it was really interesting.

 

[savory]

It is a hard experience because it is a terrible thing. I have known several survivors and grew up with their children, I am warmed by the response of the people on this thread who are so supportive of suggesting this is something we should not forget. I think we are all obligated to experience these events and similar ones which can be found in every corner of the world.

 

[Lsbcal]

That's actually in Nuremburg, isn't it? We went there, it was really interesting.

We were in Munich and visited it there. See the Rick Steve's book for details.

 

[gibor]

I also can't watch violent movies and don't read the graphic details of the Holocaust; I just can't take it. DH and I visited two sites related to the Holocaust: Theresienstadt (Terezin) in the Czech Republic and the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I also visited the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam many years ago and remember the scarily- detailed and precise statistics and charts from the prison camps that the Nazis maintained.

.

We've been to Terezin with our 11 y.o. son,it was very interesting .... but we are Jewish, so for us is a must! Dachau was OK, bet a bit interesting. Jewish Quarter in Prague is simply amazing!
The best ever museum related to Holocaust is Jad va Shem in Jerusalem Must visit for everone

 

[kcowan]

Were I to visit Poland, I would make it a point to go. That I was moved and saddened when I visited Gettysburg, Vietnam War Memorial, and Normandy Landing cemetery is all the more reason I’d go.

DW and I saw Dachau many years ago. Then recently on a trip to Paris, I wanted to drive to Normandy and DW did not but went along to appease. Afterwards she said she was glad she did.

Very different experience but the headstones at Omaha Beach made a lasting impression. So many young lives lost. War is such a futile exercise.

 

[Scrapr]

I've grown up dreading that history over there. I'm glad people are showing an interest in these sorts of terrible periods so we will hopefully not repeat them in any way.

When we were in Europe last we visited two places that were not concentration camps but illuminated parts of that Nazi past:

1) Amsterdam has the Resistance Museum. It deals with the topic of victim experiences and how some reacted to the German's occupation. Some resisted in various ways and those stories were great, others collaborated both passively and actively. The stories were haunting..

We went through the Resistance museum last year. We were thinking an hour there. We spent 3 hours. Excellent museum. Highly highly recommend

We missed out on the timed tickets for Anne Frank and I don't do hours long lines so we missed it. Instead we took a guided walk through the Jewish quarter in Amsterdam. That was very good. Overall our choice of tours left us a bit saddened in Amsterdam.